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03.01.2024 - 09:15 / traveldailynews.com / Theodore Koumelis
KSA-based and international falconers will compete for record total prize pot of SAR 60m ($16m) at AlUla’s Mughayra Heritage Sports Village from December 28th to January 5th.
ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA – As part of its goal to conserve and celebrate traditional heritage sports that have deep roots in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the region, and further afield, the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) will host the first-ever AlUla Falcon Cup.
The landmark sporting event, taking place at AlUla’s Mughayra Heritage Sports Village from December 28th to January 5th, will promote the rich history, carefully practiced skills, and important traditions of falconry to a global audience of visiting falconers and tourists, as well as members of the AlUla community.
The inaugural AlUla Falcon Cup has already set records within the sport by offering an unprecedented total prize pot of SAR60m ($16m), which will be awarded to the winners of various categories and contests, including racing, hunting, and beauty competitions. During races, falcons are timed using high-tech sensors that record their speed and performance. Beauty competitions assess each bird according to certain criteria, with the winner receiving the highest rating from the judges.
Highlights of the AlUla Falcon Cup will include the Falcon Race Competition, held daily between 8am and 5pm, and the ‘best of breed’ Falcon Mazayen show or Falcon beauty pageant, which will take place from January 2 to January 4 from 8pm to 10pm.
The event follows AlUla’s successful hosting of the Horseback Archery World Cup & Tent Pegging World Championships at the AlFursan Equestrian Village in November. Held in partnership the Saudi Arabia Equestrian Federation (SAEF) and World Horseback Archery Federation (WHAF), the international event further showcased AlUla as a hub for traditional equestrian and heritage sports, which aligns with RCU’s long-term ambition to diversify the economy and celebrate the customs and culture of northwest Arabia.
Saudi-based and international falconers compete for a record total prize pot of SAR 60m at the first-ever AlUla Falcon Cup.
The success of these events complements annual heritage sports competitions such as the AlUla Camel Cup, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup, and the Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo tournament, which each attract a large and loyal following of local and international spectators as well as competitors to AlUla.
Falconry, along with equestrian sports, enjoys a long history in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is the ancestral home of the Arabian horse breed, with horse riding an integral part of Saudi culture and sport. Practiced for centuries, falconry has long been an essential part of life across the region. Today,
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After nine days of thrilling aerial action and hotly-debated beauty contests featuring perfectly groomed birds of prey, the first-ever AlUla Falcon Cup has come to an end. The debut tournament attracted some of the best and most awarded falconers, who competed for a share of a record-breaking prize pot of US$16 million. A collaboration between the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the Saudi Falcons Club (SFC), the AlUla Falcon Cup is an exciting new edition to AlUla’s year-round calendar of events and heritage sports competition. More than 2,000 elite falcons, from six of the most famous and sought-after sub-species, took part in a variety of daily races, with the flight of each ultra-fast bird expertly tracked using state-of-the-art laser and camera systems that calculated their speed to within a fraction of a second.
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